Load supporting palletized container



1954 L. J. BUDD LOAD SUPPORTING PALLETIZED CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1950 a a fi/ w 5 & m w mam 1%. 4? @w/ 0 0 v a z 4 Z 2 ZHVEJYL 0P Lari y Jfizzdd xfl 7 WELLHS Jan. 12, 1954 L. .1. BUDD 2,665,807

LOAD SUPPORTING PALLETIZED CONTAINER Filed April 18, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In P. I. 1'!" fHz/EHLUPM K16 jar jydfiddd Patented Jan. 12, 1954 LOAD SUPPORTING PALLETIZED CONTAINER Larry J. Budd, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Pallet Devices Incorporated, Des Plaines, Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Application April 18, 1950, Serial No. 156,572

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a load bearing palletized container and more particularly to a palletized shipping structure including means for transmitting to depending supporting legs the weight of articles packed in the structure.

The present invention provides an inexpensive, disposable shipping structure for handling heavy loads, such as a plurality of individual articles vertically stacked within a container. The entire container and the load supporting structure therefor are manufactured of relatively inexpensive sheet material, as for example paperboard or the like. The structure includes a plurality of depending load supporting legs secured to a supporting structure, such as a pallet formed of relatively heavy sheet material. The sheet material of the pallet itself is not capable of bearing a relatively heavy localized load imposed therein without sagging or deformation under the load, and accordingly such pallets have not been generally employed heretofore for the shipping of heavy articles or heavy stacks of articles bearing on a localized area.

The present invention now makes possible the utilization of such expendable, inexpensive, lightweight paperboard supporting means by the employment of means for transferring the load directly to load bearing legs carried by the supporting member. In other words, the present invention provides a container in which a relatively heavy, localized load is transferred to the legs of a supporting member formed of sheet material incapable of bearing the load alone. The weight of the packed articles is thus transmitted directly to a plurality of rigid supporting legs which are capable of withstanding the load, inasmuch as they serve in turn to transfer the load to a floor or other load bearing surface.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide an improved load supporting palletized shipping structure.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a load supporting palletized shipping structure including a supporting member formed of sheet material incapable of bearing the load alone and provided with rigid supporting legs, means being provided for transferring the load directly to the rigid supporting legs.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, sheet material, load supporting container incapable of bearing a localized load but provided with means for transferring such a load to rigid supporting means.

Still another importantobject of the present invention is to provide a load supporting palletized container including a sheet material pallet provided with depending legs secured thereto and a superimposed container in flatwise contact with the pallet and adapted to contain a plurality of articles bearing on the pallet at spaced localized areas, the container being provided with means for transferring the weight of the articles to the pallet in vertically aligned relation with the loadbearing pallet legs.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a load supporting palletized container of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view, with parts broken away and in section, of the container of Figure 1 with the cover removed;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 1 of a modified form of load supporting palletized container of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane IVIV of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken along the plane VV of Figure 3.

As shown on the drawings:

In each of the figures of the drawings, reference numeral l0 refers generally to a load supporting palletized container of the present invention including a lower load supporting pallet l I and an upper container l2 seated on the pallet.

The pallet II comprises a plane floor member I3 having an upstanding, integrally formed, marginal flange l4 extending about the perimeter thereof. As best illustrated in Figure 5, the pallet floor I3 is provided at its underside with tubular load bearing legs, indicated generally at l5, arranged in laterally and transversely spaced rows, one leg I5 being secured to the pallet floor adja cent each corner thereof, another leg i5 being provided intermediate the length of each of the longer sides of the pallet, and a central row of three legs IS. The legs l5 comprise generally a cylindrical tube It secured to the pallet floor [3 by means of generally triangular segmental tabs I! die cut from the pallet floor and deformed from the plane thereof to depend therefrom into the interior of the tube 16. The segmental tabs I 1 are preferably adhesively secured to the inner periphery of the tube [6, and a cylindrical locking ring [8 is inserted into the interior of the deformed segmental tabs tolie against the inner surfaces thereof, thereby deforming the same outwardly into contact with the inner periphery of the tubes 15.

The container 52 superimposed on the pallet floor l3 includes a plane bottom wall 28 in extended surface engagement with the upper surface of the floor l3 and upstanding sidewalls 2! formed integrally with the bottom wall and secured thereto by a double reverse integral marginal joining portion 22 which effectively forms a triple thickness reinforced lower perimetral edge for the container. The container bottom, including the lower portion of the side walls, is of substantially the transverse and lateral di mensions of the pallet floor [3, so that the side and bottom walls of the container telescope in closely resting relation within the flange I 4 of the pallet ll. 7

A cover 23 is provided to overlie the container sidewalls l2, the cover having depending perimetrical single thickness flanges 24 telescoping over the sidewalls 2!. The container l2, including the top 23 and the pallet II, are secured together in assembled relation by means of a plurality of flexible metal binding strips 25, or by other suitable means. Thus, the container and pallet form an integral assembly which may be readily moved by the insertion of the forks of a lift truck, either power or hand operated, between the legs is to underlie the pallet floor 93 and to lift the same from a supporting surface.

The structure of the palletized containers as hereinbefore described is identical, except for dimensions, in each of the embodiments of the present invention shown in Figures 1-2 and S-. However, in Figures 1 and 2, the container is particularly adapted for the shipment of torque converters for automatic clutches or the like. For this purpose, the interior of the container is compartmented by suitable means as will be hereinafter described and means are provided for separating the converters, While at the same time serving to transfer the load on the pallet to the legs l5.

The torque converters are positioned within the container to overlie the container bottom 20 upon a plurality of cylindrical tubes 26, of such size as to receive therethrough an axially extending embossrnent 2'! of a torque converter 23. The tube 28 is of such axial length that it contacts the undersurface of the converter 28 and the end of the embossment 2'! of the converter is in nonbearing surface contact with the container bottom wall 253. As the stacks of converters 28 are built up, it will be seen that that axial end of the converter opposite the embossment 21 is provided with a second embossment 29 of relatively smaller radial size which extends into the bore of the embossment 2! of a superimposed converter. A second tube 26 is interposed between the upper converter 23 and the lower converter 23 to retain the same in spaced, partially telescoped relation. The uppermost of the converters 28 in any given stack is also provided with a superimposed tube 26 surrounding this upper embossment 29 which contacts the undersurface of the container cover 23. Thus, contacts between the cover 24 and the converters 28 is avoided to prevent possible damage to the embossment 29.

The converters 28 are disposed within the container H2 in laterally and transversely aligned relation as best shown in Figure 2, the converters also being aligned in stacked relation and the converters of any given stack being separated from one another by separator sheets 36 extending completely across the interior of the container l2 from one sidewall 2| to the opposing sidewall 2|. The sheets 30 are actually interposed between the converter and the tube 26 supporting the converter next above.

The laterally aligned, corresponding converters of adjacent vertical stacks are separated from one another by a transversely extending vertical divider sheet 3! traversing completely the interior of the container and interposed between the horizontal divider sheets 3%. Transversely aligned converters of adjacent stacks are separated by means of separator sheets 32 extending longitudinally across each transverse cell defined by the divider sheets 3i.

Thus, it will be seen that each of the converters is separated from every other converter within a given vertical stack by means of a separator sheet 30 and the supporting tubes 26?, and from aligned converters of adjacent vertical stacks by the divider sheets 3| and 32.

It will also be noted from Figure 2 that the peripheries of the tubular legs i5 are overlapped by the peripheries of the vertically spaced dividing tubes 26. In other words, the supporting tubes 26 are at least partially aligned with the tubular supporting legs i5, so that the tubes 26 serve to transfer to the legs E5 the load imposed on the tubes 25 by the torque converters resting thereon, Although this load from the tubes 26 to the legs is is transmitted through the container bottom 29 and the pallet floor IS, the container bottom and the pallet floor are subjected to only compression loads and the localized loads imposed on the upper tubes 23 are transmitted vertically to the lower tubes 2% and then to the legs. The legs, of course, serve to transfor this load to the floor or other supporting surface upon which the legs rest. In this manner, the subjection of the container bottom 2% and of the pallet floor I3 to a localized load is pre vented and sagging of these paperboard components is thereby also prevented.

In the container illustrated in Figures 3 and 4,, the structure is utilized for the packing and shipping of steering wheels it having hand-gripping peripheral rings 4i supported by radial struts 42 from a central hub 43 which is centrally apertured, as at 4 3.

The steering wheels 46 are arranged in superimposed, vertically stacked rows with the hubs 43 in abutment and the hand rings 4| in spaced relation, as best shown in Figure 3. It will thus be seen that the entire weight of each stack of steering wheels is imposed upon the hub 43 of the lowermost steering wheel in the stack, and this load is displaced from vertical alignment with one of the legs I5 as best shown in Figure 4, due to the size of the wheels, and the necessary placement of the legs to permit entry of a truck fork. However, this load is transmitted to the legs 15 through the medium of a load bearing block 45 interposed between the lowermost hub 43 of each stack of steering wheels 40 and the container bottom 20. The load block 45 is illustrated as being rectangular in configuration, although it will be appreciated that circular blocks or any other shape of block may be employed if desired. The block is of such size as to extend from the hub 43 to overlie the legs 15 and preferably a corner portion of the blockunderlies the hub and overlies the legs, so that a greater bearing surface is prevented at each of these points. In this manner, the load is transmitted to the legs l5, and the steering wheels thus bear upon the legs preventing the subjection of the pallet floor I3 and the container lower wall to localized loads, as has been hereinbefore explained in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2.

To prevent lateral shifting of the vertical stacks of steering wheels, an axially extending vertical support member 48 is telescoped through the hub bores 44 into contact with the block 45 and with the inner surface of the container cover 23. Thus, the lateral shifting of any one of the steering wheels 40 is prevented by the inertia of the stacks acting upon the member 46 to hold it erect.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention as herein described provides means for the adapting of a disposable pallet and container formed of relatively lightweight sheet material, such as paperboard, or the like, for the shipping of relatively heavy loads normally bearing against a localized area of the container and/or pallet with suflicient force to possibly cause deflection or rupture of these components. As herein explained, the calized loads are transmitted to vertically extending support members or legs which bear directly upon a supporting surface. In this manner, the pallet and container, and for that matter the legs, are subjected only to compression loads which are quite easily borne. The flexibility of the arrangement and its adaptability to the shipping of many varying types and sizes of articles will be appreciated together with the economic advantages inherent in the provision of a low-cost disposable load-supporting palletized shipping, structure.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

In a palletized shipping structure including a container for articles disposed in a plurality of vertically extending stacks, a plane pallet floor of sheet material incapable of bearing said stacks of articles alone and disposed under the bottom of said container, a depending leg associated with each of said stacks and secured to said pallet floor, said legs being spaced apart distances sufiicient for entry of a loading fork therebetween with at least some of said legs disposed out of vertical alignment with the centers of gravity of the associated stacks, and a separate rigid rectangular load-supporting member for each associated stack disposed on the container bottom, each member having a corner portion thereof over a portion of each of the lastmentioned legs and a. diagonally .opposite corner portion thereof under the center of gravity of the associated stack of articles and arranged for receiving the entire load of said associated stack of articles and transmitting said load directly to the associated leg with a maximum effective area thereof in contact with the portionof the container bottom intermediate the legs and the centers of gravity of the associated stack.

LARRY J. BUDD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,445,774 Koppelman Feb. 20, 1923 1,585,254 Lund May 18, 1926 1,808,651 Gibbs June 2, 1931 2,063,319 Lee Dec. 8, 1936 2,332,227 Jackson Oct. '19, 1943 2,333,792 Jackson Nov. 9, 1943 2,444,184 Cahners June 29, 1948 2,534,011 Frye Dec. 12, 1950 

